Black sororities and fraternities are fighting against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest bill initially drafted to regulate Black fraternities on the state’s public college campuses. The latest proposed House Bill 999 opposes diversity and equity and restricts lessons on the history of oppression.
According to MSNBC, Republican Rep. Alex Andrade of Pensacola created House Bill 999. In the original drafted bill, line 341 notes universities and colleges cannot use funds that “promote, support or maintain any programs or campus activities that violate s. 1000.05(4)(a) or that espouse diversity, equity, and inclusion or Critical Race Theory rhetoric.”
On March 13, the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce committee held a legislative meeting. Members of Black Greek Organizations attended to protest line 341, demanding answers from Rep. Andrade on how the bill would impact Black fraternities and sororities, First Coast News reported.
“How does this impact … Black sororities and fraternities and their ability to host social justice events, voter registration events, social justice to each other’s peers?” Rep. Yvonne Hinson, D-Gainesville asked.
“It does not. It does not affect them at all,” Andrade replied.
The updated bill now reads, “Student fees to support student-led organizations are permitted notwithstanding any speech or expressive activity by such organizations that would otherwise violate this subsection.”
“I would never do anything to harm or infringe or do away with the opportunity for students coming up behind me,” Andrade told First Coast News. “Regardless of what student lead organization espouses, believes in, promotes, the restrictions in the bill regarding DEI do not apply to them.”
According to First Coast News, Andrade admitted that the DEI administrators use Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to remove speech and ideologies they disagree with and inject “arguments for discrimination in the name of equity.”
“Unless you’re trying to argue that Divine Nine fraternities and sororities or the Black Student Union or the Asian American Student Union are not student-led, you are lying,” Andrade added.
